Collaborative session notes:

Open session notes

Description
The CoARA Boost project ‘Teaming for self-evaluation in research assessment across scales: from researchers to institutions (SE4RA)’has recently become a UNESCO-endorsed project under the United Nation’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD), a global initiative proclaimed by the UN General Assembly for 2024-2033 and led by UNESCO. This is the first research assessment project recognized by the United Nations.
Research assessment reform is accelerating globally, yet institutions, researchers, and funders continue to navigate major challenges: from overreliance on metrics to poorly aligned evaluation criteria, limited transparency, and rising complexity due to data-intensive and AI-driven research. The SE4RA project addresses these challenges by developing a structured, ethics-centered, multilingual, and globally adaptable approach to self-evaluation. The project builds on the CoARA-ERIP Ethics Self-Assessment Checklist, the Ethics Assessment Alignment Matrix (EAAM), narrative CV frameworks, and the participatory practices captured in the project’s kick-off and regional workshops.
SE4RA supports reform across four levels: individual researchers, research projects, research units, and institutions. It is grounded in extensive consultation across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America as documented in the UNESCO International Decade of Sciences submission. It introduces scalable tools such as the development of the Assessment Configurator, enabling institutions to tailor self-evaluation practices to local contexts while supporting alignment with the COARA Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA), DORA, and the Barcelona Declaration.
This BoF provides a space for RDA members to explore SE4RA’s methods, share experiences with responsible assessment practices, and identify collective needs for a global community of practice. While the session is centered on SE4RA, it will lightly draw connections to the AIDV-WG’s work on governance frameworks for AI and data visitation. It highlights how emerging digital and AI-driven research environments further reinforce the need for ethical, reflective, and context-aware assessment systems.
Principal Objective
To identify shared priorities, challenges, and opportunities for building a global community of practice around ethics-based self-evaluation in research assessment, and to explore whether an RDA Interest Group or Working Group should be formed to support the SE4RA agenda.
Supporting Objectives
1. Expand and further develop SE4RA across a global partnership under the United Nation’s International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) and with the support of UNESCO.
2. Introduce SE4RA’s ethics-driven self-evaluation approach as presented in the CoARA Boost project proposal and supporting materials
3. Facilitate exchange of institutional experiences with narrative CVs, responsible metrics, AI-informed evaluation, and qualitative assessment methods.
4. Discuss the design and piloting of the CoARA-ERIP Checklist, EAAM, and SE4RA Assessment Configurator, referencing the work plan and pilot strategy described in SE4RA documentation
5. Explore intersections with the EOSC-Future/RDA AIDV-WG, especially where self-evaluation frameworks must adapt to AI-assisted research environments and governance needs.
6. Identify community interest in establishing an RDA Interest Group or Working Group to sustain global collaboration, develop interoperable tools, and support multilingual dissemination aligned with SE4RA’s objectives.

90-minute agenda
Welcome and introduction (10 minutes)
• Overview of the SE4RA project, its goals, and relevance to research assessment reform.
Setting the scene: why self-evaluation matters (10 minutes)
• Key findings from SE4RA’s baseline mapping, institutional readiness assessments, and global consultations
Showcase: tools and frameworks (15 minutes)
• Demonstration and discussion of the CoARA-ERIP Checklist, EAAM, narrative CV training modules, and early prototype of the SE4RA Assessment Configurator.
Small-group discussions (20 minutes): Breakouts around core themes:
• ethical self-assessment practices
• responsible metrics and narrative CVs
• integrating AI and data governance into assessment
• needs of underserved regions and capacity-building
Plenary synthesis (15 minutes)
• Sharing insights, convergences, and divergences from breakout groups.
Exploring next steps for the RDA community (10 minutes)
• Polling participants on priorities and interest in forming an RDA IG/WG focused on responsible assessment, ethics self-evaluation, and interoperability of tools.
Closing reflections and community invitations (10 minutes)
• Summary of key insights and next steps; invitation to join future SE4RA activities and collaborative pilots.

• CoARA-ERIP, CoARA-OI4RRA, EDI, TUM Think Tank, CODATA (Belgium) (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14547-A-European-Strategy-for-AI-in-science-paving-the-way-for-a-European-AI-research-council/F3563348_en)
• CoARA-ERIP: Coalition for Reforming Research Assessment’s (CoARA) Ethics and Research Integrity Policy for Responsible Research Assessment in Data and Artificial Intelligence (ERIP) Working Group (Belgium) (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14547-A-European-Strategy-for-AI-in-science-paving-the-way-for-a-European-AI-research-council/F3564187_en)
• Kirbas, Z. S., Arpaci, S., Ekmekci, P. E., Crawley, F. P., Karaman, B. B., De Sousa Freitas, M. C., Stoka, V., Walther, C., & Tzouganatou, A. (2025). A whitepaper on reforming research assessment for a digital and AI-driven science future (Final 1.0). Advancing responsible research assessment for funders in the European digital space: a dialogue on ethics, integrity, and open infrastructure, Palais des Academies, Royal Stables, Salle Ilya Prigogine Hertogenstraat 1 Rue Ducale, 1000 Brussels. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17308056
• van den Hooff, S., Coler, M., Crawley, F. P., Mboya, M., Chimusa, E. R., & CoARA Working Group on Ethics and Research Integrity Policy in Responsible Research Assessment for Data and Artificial Intelligence (CoARA-ERIP). 2025. Responsible AI in Research Assessment: A Landscape Analysis. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17435545
• van den Hooff, S., Coler, M., & CoARA Working Group on ethics and research integrity policy in responsible research assessment for data and artificial intelligence (COARA-ERIP). 2025. Ethical Implications of AI Integration in Research Assessment – An Essay. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17433296
• CoARA-ERIP Checklist for self-evaluation in research assessment: designed for individual researchers and institutions (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NqwhJM1bmKDGk9dGkPQR-v7J3YaRoL00vmgdQFQihi8/edit?tab=t.0)
• Advancing the ethical arc: integrating research assessment into the university curriculum – A position paper (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Q0a8704FrJgy1i742g8zzCFY6CEBtwX3LsZksVONoU/edit?tab=t.0)
• Whitepaper on ‘From peoples to platforms: reclaiming sovereignty in data and AI governance through revisiting the UN Charter and human rights law’ (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1In2d3oI8zFZ7SydsDraNT4arFd3-MO8T0UhhQ_wflEg/edit?usp=sharing)
• Framing paper: ‘The ENVISAGE Principles & PILOT Principles: A Layered Framework for Ethical and Operational AI’
subtitle: ‘AI Governance: Grounding AI governance in shared human values and implementing them through robust policy and engineering’ (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ILB4rGTAMl8d5xYZmOFzwUOjx9_RqgFNE1tHbLyahCU/edit?usp=drive_link)
• Developing policies to advance ethics and human rights in general-purpose AI models (GPAIMs) (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J2qxZnBvFkyD6YoBNH_xaa4df_A4HW1y6HXoEU00D4Q/edit?usp=sharing)
• Guidance for Ethics Committees Reviewing Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation (https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/artificial-intelligence-and-data-visitation-aidv-wg/outputs?output=165867)
• Guidance for Informed Consent in the context of Artificial Intelligence and Data Visitation (https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/artificial-intelligence-and-data-visitation-aidv-wg/outputs?output=143365)
• AI Bill of Rights Recommendation (https://www.rd-alliance.org/groups/artificial-intelligence-and-data-visitation-aidv-wg/outputs?output=165995)